Trudeau pledges to strengthen gun control in wake of Nova Scotia tragedy

Justin Trudeau addressed media today outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa on Tuesday, providing updates regarding the coronavirus pandemic, pledging to strengthen gun control after the mass shooting in Nova Scotia, and announcing more funding for aid to charities.

Trudeau started by paying his respects to Holocaust Memorial Day, Yom HaShoah.

Trudeau also said he spoke to the injured RCMP officer and the family of the late hero Const. Heidi Stevenson's family, paying tribute to their massive sacrifice in keeping us safe in Nova Scotia.

Trudeau commended Canadian charities who adapted to regulations surrounding COVID-19, in Toronto to Ottawa to Montreal, who are spread thin and are lacking resources.

Trudeau announced a $350 million emergency community support fund, which would go to independent front line organizations, and the remainder to national organizations like the United Way and the Red Cross, that would get resources to local charities quickly.

Trudeau also announced the launch of an online government calculator for the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy available on the CRA website, that wold help businesses find the amount that they would be able to claim via the wage subsidy.

That fund is set to launch on April 27.

Trudeau would then go on to thank Canadians for doing their part in the pandemic thus far, as projections continue to trend towards a best-case scenario.

When asked about the introduction of a gun control bill that Trudeau has longed to pass, Trudeau says his government has made strong commitments to bringing that bill forward, saying that the tragedy in Nova Scotia "reinforces and underlines how important it is" to strengthen gun control in Canada.

Trudeau was then asked about the shortage of PPE across the country, a question asked on behalf of Nick Beaton, who lost his wife, a frontline health care worker in the tragedy in Nova Scotia this weekend.

Trudeau commended the work of front line workers, saying that the federal government has been able to respond to the request of provinces to get PPE to workers, saying that the Canadian government has made large steps in producing PPE domestically due to a hot global market for the vital equipment.

Trudeau said the decisions regarding PPE are up to the provinces, after being pressed on why certain provinces are advising nurses to re-use their equipment.

The prime minister was asked whether the weapon used in Nova Scotia had been identified, and whether or not it was a legal firearm. Trudeau said he will release information as it comes from the RCMP's thorough investigation.

Trudeau said that Canada has increased its funding to the WHO, despite allied countries such as Australia and the United Kingdom now conducting investigation into their handling of the coronavirus.

Trudeau said funding to the WHO is in the tune of "tens of millions" a year.